Becoming a Member of the Wheaton Fire Department

Career Firefighter

To become an entry-level firefighter in Wheaton, you must possess the minimum firefighter certifications from the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, Illinois Department of Public Health medical license such as Emergency Medical Technician, and higher education, such as an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree, in order to be eligible for hiring.

The City of Wheaton Fire and Police Commission administers the hiring process for the Wheaton Fire Department. The hiring process includes written and physical testing (a test entitled CPAT), oral interviews, psychological/polygraph assessment and a medical exam. Successful candidates from this testing process are placed by ranking on a hiring list. When positions become available within the Wheaton Fire Department, candidates are selected based upon their ranking from the current hiring list.

When the Wheaton Fire and Police Commission will be conducting testing for the hiring list, notice will be posted in the Human Resources and Fire Department sections of the City's website.

Career Paramedic

Paramedic services are provided by Kurtz Ambulance. Please visit their website for more information about becoming a paramedic.

Other Resources

Local community colleges such as College of DuPage offer programs to obtain firefighter certifications. Many firefighters also start their career as a volunteer or paid on-call firefighter in another community to gain experience. The Wheaton Fire Department does not offer paid on-call or volunteer firefighter opportunities.